Dead Pony ClubBrewDog

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This Californian Pale Ale packs a huge hoppy punch. A 21st century low amplitude, high voltage hop hit. Some people say slow is good. We believe fast is better. Being shot from a Hoppy Howitzer beats the hell out of trotting round a submissive paddock. That's why the internal combustion engine got mounted onto two wheels. Screw down the throttle and listen for that dull banshee howl floating back from those malted mufflers. Drink fast, live fast, sleep late and rip it up down empty streets. This pale ale is chopped, tuned and ready to roll. Fuel up and hold tight, this little thoroughbred kicks like a mule. Perfect for drinking by the bottle, case or even keg.

Taste: Take the blurb on the bottle at face value and you'd be preparing yourself for a hop bomb. Sure, there are hops there but the fruity flavours are dominant. Quite a dry and bitter finish with hop and pine resin undertones. I reckon the balance between the hops and other flavours is pretty much bang on.

Feel: Mouthfeel is a little bit insipid, although given that this is 'only' 3.8% ABV that's probably not surprising. Quite an astringent finish, although not unpleasantly so.

Overall: Colour me surprised - for all their bluster and predeliction for high-octane novelty beers, BrewDog have won themselves another convert with this. Having my tastebuds assaulted with hop bitterness isn't on my top 10 things to do, yet this works a treat. Eminently sessionable, if that's your idea of a good time, and definitely more drinkable than some of their other offerings.

Smells very floral, with rose and lavender, white tea leaves, a bit of lemon tang and an unusual meaty character which may just be the clash of hops with the malts which seem somewhat darker than I might expect from the style. Light, fairly pleasant though.

Fairly light on the palate. Quite grainy upfront with honeyed oats and wheat bran. The honey character continues to midway where there's a yeasty touch, plus some light floral hop character with kiwi, grapefruit and lavender. Finish is very light but quite clean. Not bad; pretty drinkable and fairly simple.

Big thanks to Sc0pey for hand-delivering this one from across the pond! Poured from a 330 mL can into an Upland pint glass.

A: Nearly clear with some chill haze, amber in color. Forms less than a finger of white head that recedes quite quickly. Somewhat above average amount of carbonation bubbles streaming to the top.

S: Citrus (lemon and orange), tropical fruit and resinous hops. Some lightly toasted malts give it some sweetness on the nose as well. Just a bit of floral or herbal character as well.

T: As in the nose, citrus and tropical fruit hops hit the tongue first. The cracker malt backbone shows up to give just a bit of balance, followed by some spicy, melon, herbal, grassy hops. The citrus and spicy/melon hops linger into the hang - moderately bitter. The melon and spice character increases as the beer warms somewhat during the drink.

M: Medium body for style. Lots of carbonation sensation plus the hop bitterness leads to a very effervescent mouthfeel - quite unexpected, but not a bad thing. Minimal alcohol presence.

O: I'm confused...BrewDog can make a solid, tasty APA without any weird flavors, ridiculous alcohol content or advertising gimmicks? I'm kidding (kind of), but really this was a surprise. Not the best APA out there (not even close), but really quite enjoyable. I don't know what the cost on a can would have been, but if this were reasonably priced, cans would often be in my fridge. My biggest objection might be the melon/spice hop character - still not my favorite. But a minor quibble. Solid, well-done.

Appearance – Light hazy amber in colour with minimal CO2 activity a single finger of rocky head that dies quickly and leaves very little lace.

Smell – Piney resinous hop with herbal mint and coriander very similar to other aroma profiles of many Brew Dog beers.

Taste – Very mild light malt with that is slightly sweet but is totally dominated by the herbal piney flavour of the hop.

Mouthfeel – Thin and cloying with mild astringency.

Overall – So, so. In my opinion too many of the Brew Dog beers have the same dominating pine hop presence. In the IPA that is fine but in the others it is a bit too much for the styles most of the time. For me I’ll stick with the Red Ale and be done with it. Having said that they are all more than drinkable and I would never turn my nose up at any of them.

Starts with a grassy hop aroma, pours a clear amber with a thin white head. Light bodied, with a little biscuit and caramel notes followed by a mild bitter finish. Easy drinking, not too complex, but that's not what you should be looking for in a session pale ale.

Picked this up at a local beer and wine store in Shanghai. I like PunkIPA a lot and wanted to give this one a shot as a session type of beer.

The beer looks great with its orange body and foamy offwhite head and you can smell it as soon as you open the bottle. The beer is fruity and citrus smelling and very fresh. It's very inviting. The taste is very hoppy but accessible. Fruity mostly with lots of light fruits, citrus, and honey. Not much of a malt profile in here. Good for a hop fix if you don't want a lot of booze.